political science core final

Liberalism

Belief in individual liberty, reason, equality, consent of the governed, and limited government. Divided into classical (negative liberty) and modern (positive liberty).

Approaches to Political Economy

State-centric (mercantilism), classical/neoclassical (laissez-faire), and Marxist (class struggle and exploitation).

State Approaches

Functionalist (maintains order), organizational (public apparatus), and international (actor in world politics).

Neoliberal Globalization

Global economic integration emphasizing deregulation, privatization, tax cuts, and minimal state intervention.

Non-Democratic Legitimacy

Achieved via rigged elections, performance (e.g. stability), or ideology. Often backed by coercion.

Sovereignty

Supreme power of the state. Legal (right to rule), political (ability to rule), internal (within borders), and external (independent actor globally).

Neoliberalism

Economic philosophy advocating minimal state role, deregulation, privatization, and market freedom.

Approaches to Studying Politics

Philosophical (normative), empirical (descriptive), behavioral (observable actions), and rational-choice (individual utility maximization).

Racism

Belief in inherent racial differences; used to justify social hierarchies and discrimination.

Decline and Resilience of the State

Globalization and non-state actors weaken state control, yet crises (e.g., terrorism, recession) revive its centrality.

Cultural vs Political Nation

Cultural: common language, history. Political: shared citizenship, civic values, inclusive.

Politics as Compromise

Politics as peaceful conflict resolution through negotiation, conciliation, and consensus.

Patriarchal State

Radical feminist idea that the state perpetuates male dominance across public/private spheres.

Liberal Democracy

Representative system with pluralism, elections, civil liberties, and distinction between state and civil society.

Populism

Political style emphasizing 'the people' vs 'the elite', often anti-globalist and anti-immigrant.

Politics as Government

Traditional view focused on institutions like the state, legislation, and formal power structures.

Legitimacy (Weber)

Traditional (custom), charismatic (personality), and legal-rational (rules-based) authority.

Democratic Legitimacy

Secured through participation, negotiation, and accountability mechanisms like elections.

Hobbes

Social contract theorist; state of nature = war; advocated strong sovereign (Leviathan) to ensure security.

Pluralist State

State as neutral arbiter among groups; later revised by neopluralists acknowledging elite influence.

Concepts, Models, Theories

Concepts: basic ideas. Models: simplified representations. Theories: systematic explanations.

Conservatism

Emphasizes tradition, authority, social order, and pragmatism. Sees society as organic.

Paternalistic Conservatism

Top-down reform to prevent revolution; duty of elites to care for lower classes (One-Nation principle).

Neoconservatism

Focuses on restoring authority, traditional values, and national cohesion.

The New Right

Blend of neoliberalism (market freedom) and neoconservatism (social order and values).

Conservative Nationalism

Prioritizes national unity, tradition, and security; typically skeptical of immigration and supranationalism.

Political Globalization

Growth of institutions (UN, EU, IMF) and global civil society, limiting state-centric sovereignty.

Capitalist State

Marxist idea: state serves bourgeoisie; instrument of class oppression.

Rousseau

General will = common good. Advocated collective sovereignty and political liberty through unity.

Definitions of Politics

Power struggle over resources; seen as conflict, cooperation, governance, or power dynamics.

Governance

Broader than government; includes all processes coordinating collective life (public-private partnerships, networks).

Failed State

Lacks control, law, and ability to provide services (e.g., Somalia, Liberia).

Politics as Public Affairs

Politics occurs in public realm (state, law), not private (family, business); challenged by feminists.

Features of the State

Sovereignty, public character, legitimacy, coercion, territoriality.

Authority

Legitimate power. Weber: traditional, charismatic, legal-rational.

Social Contract Theory

Idea that people consent to form a government for mutual protection and social order.

Backlash Against Globalization

Manifested in populism, nationalism, protectionism, and anti-elite sentiment.

Civil Society

Sphere outside the state (e.g., NGOs, unions); fosters autonomy and pluralism.

Crisis of Democracy

Political disengagement, rise of populism, disillusionment post-2008 financial crisis.

Varieties of Nationalism

Liberal, conservative, expansionist, anti/postcolonialâeach shaped by context and goals.

Varieties of Capitalism

Enterprise (free market), social (welfare state), and state capitalism (directive state role).

Socialism

Emphasizes equality, fraternity, community, and collective ownership of resources.

Models of Democracy

Direct (classical), representative (parliamentary, liberal), participatory, deliberative.

Ideal Types

Conceptual tools (Weber) to simplify complex phenomena (e.g., bureaucracy, authority types).

Definition of Nation

Group sharing identity, often subjective and emotional; different from an ethnic group.

Colonialism

Control of foreign lands for settlement and economic gain; tied to imperialism.

Classical Marxism

History as class struggle; revolution leads to stateless, classless communist society.

Economic Globalization

Integration of world economies; states lose control to markets and TNCs.

Anti/Postcolonial Nationalism

Liberation from colonial rule, often fused with socialism or indigenous ideologies.

Power

Ability to achieve desired outcomes; 'power over' others via influence, force, or manipulation.

Leviathan State

New Right view of state as oppressive, parasitic force against liberty and markets.

Politics as Power

Most expansive view; politics present in all relationships involving influence.

Liberal Nationalism

Promotes self-determination, equality of nations, and peaceful world order.

Locke

State of nature with rights; social contract formed to protect life, liberty, and property.

Social Democracy

Moderate socialism; blends market with welfare state to ensure social justice.

Expansionist Nationalism

Militaristic, chauvinistic nationalism (e.g., fascism); often rooted in racial superiority.

Keynesianism

Demand-side economics; state intervention to stabilize markets and boost employment.

Paradigms

Frameworks or models (Kuhn) that guide political analysis and theory.

Understanding Democracy

'Rule by the people'; includes political equality, participation, accountability, and protection of rights.

Political culture

The pattern of psychological orientations (beliefs, symbols, values) of a people toward political objects such as parties, government, and the constitution.

Participant culture

A type of political culture in which citizens pay close attention to politics and participate actively in political processes.

Subject culture

A type of political culture where citizens are aware of politics but remain largely passive, believing they have little direct influence over government.

Parochial culture

A type of political culture in which citizens have little or no awareness of national‐level politics, focusing instead on local or communal concerns.

Propaganda model

A theory asserting that news content is filtered through five "filters": ownership interests, advertiser influence, reliance on official sources, flak (pressure/criticism), and dominant market ideology, which together shape media output.

Elite‐values model

The view that media bias reflects the social background and values of senior journalists—typically middle‐class professionals—who shape coverage based on their own worldviews.

Market model

The proposition that media outlets primarily respond to public demand and profit motives, offering content that maximizes audience size or advertising revenue, sometimes at the expense of substantive politics.

E‐democracy

The use of computer‐based technologies—such as online petitions, social media, and electronic town halls—to deepen and broaden citizen engagement in political processes.

Post‐truth politics

A political condition in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief, often facilitated by misinformation.

Fake news

False or misleading information presented as legitimate journalism, often produced to manipulate public perception or generate clicks, thereby undermining informed debate.

Representation

A relationship in which an individual or group (a representative) stands for or acts on behalf of a larger body of people (constituents).

Trustee model

A model in which elected representatives use their own judgment, knowledge, and expertise to make decisions on behalf of constituents, rather than simply following public opinion.

Delegate model

A model where elected representatives act primarily as conduits for constituents' views, conveying those preferences directly with minimal personal interpretation.

Descriptive (resemblance) representation

The idea that representatives should resemble the demographic or social characteristics (e.g., race, gender, class) of the people they represent, creating a legislative body that is a microcosm of society.

Majoritarian electoral system

An electoral system in which larger parties typically win a greater share of seats than votes, often producing single‐party majority governments.

Proportional representation (PR) system

An electoral system that aims to allocate legislative seats in close proportion to each party's share of the vote, frequently resulting in multiparty coalitions.

Party identification model

A theory positing that voters develop a psychological attachment to a political party—often through early socialization—which heavily influences their voting decisions.

Rational‐choice model

The assumption that voters act as rational actors, selecting the candidate or party that they believe will maximize their personal benefits based on policy preferences or self‐interest.

Political party

An organized group that seeks to win governmental power, typically displays some measure of ideological cohesion, and aims to exercise or influence governmental authority.

Cadre party

A party that relies primarily on a politically active elite for leadership and decision‐making, historically composed of "notables" rather than mass membership.

Mass party

A party characterized by broad membership and extensive grassroots organization, mobilizing large numbers of supporters to achieve electoral success; often evolves into a "catch‐all" party.

Representative party (Neumann)

A party primarily focused on securing votes by mirroring existing public opinion and electoral interests, rather than trying to shape a long-term ideology.

Integrative party (Neumann)

A party that seeks to mobilize, educate, and integrate citizens around a coherent ideological vision, aiming to lead public opinion rather than simply reflect it.

One‐party system

A political system in which a single party holds a monopoly on power, with opposition parties either banned or powerless.

Two‐party system

A political system dominated by two major parties that typically alternate in office, with one serving as the government and the other as the official opposition.

Multiparty system

A system in which more than two parties compete for power; single-party majorities are rare and coalition governments are common.

Partisan dealignment

The weakening of individuals' long-term loyalty to a political party, leading to more voters being "floating" (i.e., less predictable, switching allegiances).

Interest group (pressure group)

An organized association that seeks to influence government policies or actions from outside the electoral arena, rather than by winning office itself.

Communal group

An interest group based on a shared identity—such as ethnicity, religion, or region—representing the interests of that community.

Institutional group

An organization that has a formal political voice by virtue of its structure—such as universities, corporations, or government agencies—seeking to influence policy.

Associational group

A voluntary organization formed by individuals who share a common interest or cause—such as trade unions or professional associations—to influence policy.

Sectional group

An interest group that represents the economic or social interests of a particular section of society—often a specific industry or profession.

Insider group

An interest group with direct, institutionalized access to policymakers and frequent consultation in the decision-making process.

Outsider group

An interest group without formal channels to policymakers, relying on public campaigns, protests, or media pressure to exert influence.

Corporatism

A system in which the state works in partnership with a limited number of peak interest groups—often labor and business associations—to negotiate and formulate policy, rather than allowing a plurality of groups.